The Canadian Space Agency (CSA)-Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) agreement will provide its community of users access to French stratospheric balloon flight opportunities here and around the world.

The balloons provide Canadian scientists and engineers with a new platform to test technologies and advance space science for far less than the cost of a satellite or a launcher – up to 40 times less.

Access to balloons are perfect for training the next generation of engineers and scientists by providing the opportunity to carry out concrete scientific experiments in a short period of time and obtain results quickly.

Stratospheric balloons are the only type of balloons that are capable of operating in this region of the atmosphere (12–45 km in altitude), which is too low for satellites, too high for aircraft and cleared too quickly by rockets.

Balloons rely on winds and buoyancy to take flight, require no engine or fuel, and are fully recovered after each flight, making them an environmentally responsible tool for scientific research and technology development.